


The Northern Lights

by meditationsinemergencies



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Christmas Fluff, F/M, Secret Santa
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-07
Updated: 2020-12-07
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:07:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,890
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27798979
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/meditationsinemergencies/pseuds/meditationsinemergencies
Summary: Severus knows just to gift to give Hermione when he draws her name for Hogwarts' Secret Santa gift exchange.
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Severus Snape
Comments: 17
Kudos: 122
Collections: Hermione's Holiday Hideaway 2020





	The Northern Lights

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for Hermione's Holiday Hideaway 2020.
> 
> My prompt was Anchorage, Alaska and Secret Santa.

Severus Snape was frankly quite tired of hearing Hermione freakin’ Granger talk. All the woman did was talk, talk, talk, talk. He had been bothered when Minerva hired her on as the new Arithmancy professor, but he figured he could, as he did with the rest of the faculty, ignore her. 

He had been wrong. 

For starters, Minerva believed in something called _professional development_ and _community_ and _building relationships_ when it came to the faculty at Hogwarts. He thought it was all a bunch of bullshit. He hadn’t survived Albus Dumbledore, Lord Voldemort, and Nagini so that he could sit in meetings and listen to others share their thoughts, but, then again, apparently he had, as found himself doing just that several times a month. 

Severus returned to Hogwarts because Minerva had asked. He had no reason to not come back. He was, frankly, a good teacher. He had been a total arsehole and he still was a total arsehole, but as he was an excellent potioneer, he had a lot of knowledge to offer the students. Several students under him had gone on to become potion masters, some had studied at some of the top schools, other’s had contributed great things to the magical world. 

He had also returned to Hogwarts because he needed something to do with his time. What else was he going to do? Upon asking himself this, he had no answer other than to teach potions. He had begun to brew for St. Mungo’s and a few other apothecaries, and, overall, he was content with the way things were going—except for the Arthimancy professor. Not only did he see far too much of Granger in their many meetings, but she also seemed to want to constantly be talking to him. 

Today, he was preparing for a trip to Alaska. He was prepping a sight for harvesting ingredients in a few weeks. Violets, when underneath aurora borealis, would be charged, electrified almost, and became a useful and potent ingredient in many rare potions. The ground in which the violets were transplanted had to be prepared in advance. He was in his office packing when Hermione had come in and begun talking to him about something he didn’t care about. When she asked where he was going, he answered, “Anchorage, Alaska. Potion ingredients.”

“Will you get to see the northern lights?” Her face was bright with excitement, and he was a bit taken aback by this. 

“There will be some, yes, but they will be more...prevalent in about 3 weeks, around Christmas, which is when I will be able to harvest the violets.” 

This was when he was hit with an onslaught of words, “I’ve always wanted to see the northern lights, it’s a dream of mine. There are so many fascinating myths and legends surrounding them. According to…” and on and on she went.

Severus was amazed at how much she knew about the phenomena, how intrigued she was by it, and, more so, that’d she’d never gone herself. He found her fascination and excitement to be endearing and, he loathed to admit, a bit lovely. As much as he found her annoying, when she was impassioned about something, her joy and her vivacity was a bit intoxicating.

She excused herself for class, and he didn’t see her again until that evening. The good mood she had put him in was quickly soured as he walked into the staff room for their weekly meeting. The room had been decorated for Christmas. He was quick to evade the mistletoe that had been hung but ended up having to sit on the sofa, which smelled of sugar cookies and the cushions were red and green and shimmery. All of it made his stomach hurt. It was too cheery, too overtly fake. The worst of it was yet to come. 

Hagrid sat happily next to him, sloshing a Butterbeer and chatting with Rolanda. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Hermione sitting by herself and sipping her drink—looking perfectly content. Minerva was walking around with a bowl full of...paper. He wasn’t sure what that was about until she shoved the bowl in his face, “Pick a name, Severus.” Her Scottish accent thick and a bit pompous. 

“Excuse me?” his voice was drawn out and thick. 

“A name, Severus! For Secret Santa,” she pushed the bowl towards him again.  
  


He turned up his nose to her and replied shortly, “No.”

“You have to. All the staff has to.”

Again, his reply was terse, “No.”

“It’s in your contract, young man,” the woman’s voice rose a bit. 

“I am not young. What’s this about my contract?” He peered at her questioningly. 

She flicked her wand and grabbed the parchment flying towards her. With her wand, she pointed to a paragraph near the end of the for: “Section XXVI. Part C: All staff must participate in all functions and all activities assigned by the Headmistress.” Her smile was imperious as she looked at him. 

Severus narrowed his eyes at her, and she smirked again as he reached his hand into the bowl with a loud, exacerbated sigh. He pulled out the name and muttered “Fuck,” when he saw that the name scrawled on the slip read _Hermione Granger - Arithmancy - Gryffindor._

He didn’t even think about the fact that some poor bastard had pulled his name, and he spent the rest of the night in a worse mood than normal. He didn’t socialize, or eat, or drink—he’d quite wanted some of Minerva’s famous biscuits, but fuck if he was going to eat any just to prove a point. Granted, he was making himself miserable in doing so, but, that was him. 

Other than the Secret Santa debacle, he'd made it back to his rooms relatively unscathed.

It didn't take him long to figure it what to get Granger. After all, he’d heard so much from her about being jealous of his trip, that it only made sense. 

He didn't assume she'd want to travel with him to Anchorage, so he created a portkey—a small iridescent stone, the colours resembled that of the northern lights. Upon grabbing the stone, it would take her directly to, what he thought was, the best spot to see the lights. Inside the box, he left a handwritten note explaining the gift, telling her what time to grab the portkey, and how to be dressed, and, lastly, instructing her to enjoy the beauty of the phenomena. 

Severus would already be there when she arrived, he’d be harvesting the violet petals, so while he would be near, he would not be near enough to disturb her experience. He left for Anchorage before the big Christmas party, which meant he’d miss seeing Hermione open her gift—this, he was thankful for. He didn’t want to question his choice. Whatever gift was left for him by his Secret Santa, would just have to wait, it would probably be a book on potions or a journal or a new quill, something trite, which was fine by him. 

Around nine in the evening, the night of Hermione’s impending arrival, Severus went out to the spot where he’d planted the violets. They weren’t quite ready yet, and so there was no work to be done; he thought they needed a few more hours underneath the sky, then he could harvest them. Conjuring a blanket for himself, he laid back on it, his arms behind his head, and stared up at the sky. The lights were beginning, but they weren’t at full-effect yet. 

He surveyed his own emotions and found that he was … nervous, something he didn’t feel quite often. What if she didn’t show? What if she didn’t trust him or his gift, assuming that she knew it was from him? What if she didn’t like it or thought it was a poor choice in a gift? He realized he was being a bit absurd—she would like it, that he knew. She didn’t know, however, that he would be so close by. It was easiest for him to make the portkey to this exact location, however, as he had been there so many times for work. He took a deep breath and sighed, figuring that, he would just stay back, and let her enjoy the evening—he wouldn’t disturb her. Once she arrived, he decided, he would just as soon leave, but he needed to see her arrive first, to know that she came, to know that she was getting to experience something she had so longed for.

Deep in his thoughts, a cracking sound broke him out of his reverie, and he knew she had arrived. Sitting up silently, he saw her off in the distance, standing on the snowy ground. Despite himself, he smiled when he saw her immediately look up the sky and let out a cry of excitement. She turned around, her hands coming to her cheeks in awe, her smile wide and bright. After a few moments, she began to look around, not at the sky, but, he thought, for him or for whomever he gifter was. 

He had intended to leave, but he found he couldn’t. Despite how irritating she could be, he realized at this moment the true scope of his feelings. Perhaps he found her so irritating because he was irritated with his own emotions—his affections for the woman. She looked so stunning to him standing there in the snow, head lifted towards the sky, hair falling around her shoulders. Severus longed to stand up and go to her, to walk towards her, to see how red the tip of her nose was from the cold, to see her flushed cheeks, to feel the excitement she exuded. 

_To hell with it,_ he thought and he stood up and made his way to her. She heard him before he got to her, turning to see him. They were quite the contrast; her peacoat a bright blue, her scarf a creamy white, whereas he was dressed in all black. She smiled upon seeing him, something that made his heart do an unfamiliar and very foreign jump. 

“Thank you, Severus,” she said stepping towards him and looking back up at the sky.

He looked up too and replied, “You’re welcome.”

“This is…” she began, “unbelievable. I can’t imagine anything more beautiful.” 

His reply was silent, a slight nod. He felt her hand reach out and grab his, her fingers cold against his own, but her hand slight and small in his grasp. And, despite the cold, his body felt hot all over. 

For quite some time, the pair stood staring at the night’s sky, the colours dancing above them, a very different type of magic.

She turned to look at him, her smile just as big as it had been when she’d arrive, the same look of awe on her face, and she let go of his hand, wrapping her arm around his waist. Her body was then pressed to his, leaning against him, and he, too, put his arm around her, pulling her tighter into him, and he felt, again, another emotion he wasn’t used to—happiness, and Severus thought that perhaps this was the best moment of his life so far, standing beneath the northern lights with her.


End file.
